The newly appointed (and Hariri salaried) Mufti of `Akkar (a huge fan of Bin Laden by the way--as are the various Hariri clerics including the Mufti of Mount Lebanon, Muhammad `Ali Al-Juzu, who praised Bin Laden and refused to condemn the attacks of Sep. 11, and the Mufti of Biqa`, Al-Mays, who helped recruit volunteers for Zarqawi in Iraq), here compares the demonstrations in downtown Beirut to the protests by the pagans against Muhammad and his companions in Mecca.

I received this anonymous letter from Beirut:
"professor asaad
yesterday while i was returning home, i saw a clash occured at kaskas area in beirut between hariri supporters and opposition. many people were hurt from the opposition and many were unconscious due to the gas grenades launched by the military . it is the second time that this clash occurs the the first one occured on sunday and this one is the second one .a boy from the opposition was very inured his had was covered with blood he was hitten by a glass bottle on his head ..and the military stand without doing anything to stop the Hariri supporters .they simply shout to them .in beirut the situation is so bad , too much anger on the streets ..god help us ...
check the picture in the attachement it is not co clear ...this picture was taken yesterday the other picture is a sketch for ahmad fatfat in the opposition demonstration"

PS The man in the poster is Ahmad Fatfat (of the famous Fatfatism Movement). He is being mocked with the tea reference. Faftat is loathed in many quarters in Lebanon for many reasons, including the time when his troops offered tea to Israeli occupation soldiers in Marji`yun barracks in South Lebanon.

"“Arts flourish most when they happen in a democracy,” Ms. Rice said. “The arts give expression to human spirit and give expression to human freedom.”" (OK. Put the lack of eloquence aside. What a silly statement. Why would arts not flourish in a dictatorship? In fact, you can argue that arts under Stalin in the Soviet Union was better and richer than arts in, say, Sweden in the same period, no?

I detest the Syrian (official) media coverage of Lebanon's events. They report the news as if there is only one side in Lebanon--the side aligned with Syria. They also act as if the protests in Lebanon are about inviting the oppressive Syrian army back into Lebanon. And they act as if the Syrian government did not commit criminal acts in Lebanon during the years of Syrian domination. If I can forgive the regime, I can't forgive the regime for 1) aborting the victory of the Lebanese National Movement/Palestinian Resistance in 1976; 2) killing Kamal Jumblat in 1977; 3) the war of the camps (with the participation of the Amal Movement); 4) installing Rafiq Hariri and his cronies in Lebanon.

My mother does not like me to criticize Hasan Nasrallah, Fayruz, or Yasir `Arafat (who has not been able to send millions to Suha `Arafat). And she likes Fayruz and Nasrallah very much-she also liked Jamal `Abun-Nasir. But I saw a segment of Fayruz in Sahh An-Nawm (and Lebanese newspapers would praise Fayruz even if she reads from the phone book). And I like Fayruz very much--the old Fayruz up until the first CD with Ziyad Rahbani (Kifak Inta). But her singing has deteriorated substantially, I have to say.

Puppet president of Palestine upon learning of yet another Israeli shooting of a Palestinian child.

The prime minister of Lebanon upon learning of the resignation of John Bolton.

LBC-TV's evening news broadcast only showed veiled women among the demonstrators in downtown Beirut. They did that for 2 reasons: 1) to underline that all the demonstrators are Muslims and that none are Christians (in fact today, SF Chronicle showed demonstrators holding the flags of the Maronite Marada Party and claimed that it was a Hizbullah party; 2) to show that the demonstrators are not "civilized" (according to Lebanonese standards, veiled women are not "civilized". The Nation magazine must agree with that view because it hailed the March 14th demonstrators and described them as "glamorous.")

To manipulate Lebanese public opinion, every day the prime minister (after drying his eyes) claims that he held a meeting to "prepare for Paris III" meeting. How much preparation does that require, and what does the preparation entail?

Hariri goons and PSP sectarian militia men would not dare attack Hizbullah offices. Yesterday, they attacked the office of the Lebanese Communist Party in Barja. How courageous.

The Lebanese Army never played a role in defending Lebanon from successive Israeli invasions. Before the 1975 war, the mission of the army was to 1) prevent Muslims and Christians from killing one another; 2) oppress Palestinians and leftists in Lebanon. The mission of the Lebanese Army has changed somewhat. It sill does not play any role in defending Lebanon from successive Israeli invasions. It now is used to prevent Shi`ites and Sunnis from killing one another, and to prevent rival Christian groups from killing one another. What a country. The late Pope ostensibly had said that Lebanon is more than a homeland; it is a message. I say Lebanon is not a homeland; it is a joke--an unfunny one.

Paul Wolfowitz has just appointed his good friends, Marwan Mu`ashshir (former Jordanian foreign minister), as vice-president of the World Bank for external affairs.

I mentioned this before: but I will mention it again because NOT A SINGLE Western correspondent in Beirut mentioned that this same beloved Fu'ad Sanyurah was banned from entering the US after Sep. 11 because he gave a donation to an organization that the US accused of terrorist links.

Samir Ja`ja` (pronounced Ga`ga` in Egyptian accent) gave an interview to Al-Balad newspaper. This leader of the Lebanese Forces (the right-wing, fascist militia group--the death squads of Lebanon) said that he (as an expert on "civilization"--he was really a specialist in "civilized" car bombs, torture techniques, assassinations, extortions, sectarian warfare, etc) can't say that the opposition demonstrators in Beirut are "civilized" because they are leaving trash behind. He said that when he sent car bombs all around Lebanon he always picked up his trash.

There were three pictures in the NYT today about the elections in Venezuela. Under two of the pictures, the NYT found it important to say that opponents accused Chavez of irregularities. Do they print that under Bush's pictures, saying that his opponents accused him of irregularities?

"Supporters of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government have begun a campaign to discredit the masses demonstrating near the PM's office in downtown Beirut. Text messages were disseminated across the nation on Sunday to March 14 Forces - the coalition led by Siniora - suspected supporters. "Visit our new OPEN ZOO in Riad el Soloh [downtown Beirut where the demonstration is located] for FREE; be aware they eat people," the text message read. "The disdain for the poor and the Shia by the elite of Beirut and Lebanon who support the March 14 coalition can be seen in this text message," Sean C. Lee, an American analyst in Beirut told AHN news." (thanks Hala)

The US Embassy in Lebanon reminds the Lebanese that the Sanyurah government has "earned international respect." Oh, really? The official added that if the Sanyurah government does not stay (forever?) the "international community" will not agree to help Lebanon. (thanks Hanady)

Tunisian human rights activist, Munsif Al-Marzuqi is being persecuted by the Tunisian police state. You know why you will not read about him in the US press.

I found one sentence by Blanford that I agree with (but notice how he ends the article): "The Bush administration, which fully endorsed the mass street protests of 22 months ago that brought down the pro-Syrian government of then Prime Minister Omar Karami, has likened the Hizbullah-led equivalent to a "coup" attempt."

When I want brilliant insights on foreign affairs, I turn to Fareed Zakaria. I mean, look how profound this thought is: "In addition, the policies that the United States has in place are at best inadequate. We have tried to handle Afghanistan with an Afghan strategy. But it is now clear that the only way to stabilize the country is to have a Pakistan strategy." (By the way, notice when you read the article, how often he talks about the US government and its armed forces as "we." I notice that many ethnic minority Americans do that: they want so bad to remind the White Man that they are Americans too.)
PS Notice that there is a section on the page for readers to submit questions to his eminence. Somebody should post this question to him. Mr. Zakaraia: why are you so brilliant in foreign affairs? Also, when he was at Foreign Affairs, he was known for being the most thin skinned person there is. He has a deep need for flattery--and he offers himself just that on regular basis: and anybody who does not review his book favorably gets banned from Foreign Affairs.

Jimmy Carter called anti-Semite on live TV. He explains how much he loves Israel.

"Videotape Offers a Window Into a Terror Suspect’s Isolation"

""I like living here because I don't fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans," the 34-year-old added." (But I thought that the Lebanonese people are the most civilized in the world!)

Fu'ad Sanyurah (who was educated in the British cities of Sidon and Beirut) is still affecting a fake British accent. Today, he pronounced the word "here" as "hiarrr."

Fu'ad Sanyurah (his opponent shown above) loses big in Venezuela.

Iyad `Allawi is back...from London. For months, `Allawi (former puppet prime minister/car bomber/Saddam's henchman/embezzler-in-Yemen) has been in London. He says that he is there for his medical check-up. His annual physical has lasted for more than 4 months now. He has been giving interviews though. Today on Al-Jazeera, he produced what we all have been a looking for: a solution for Iraq's problems. He said that we need a "strategic review." OK.

"Bush Is Weighing Options for New Strategy in Iraq" (Let me translate for you: Bush is flipping coins for a new strategy).

Don't Cry for Me O Sanyurah: Here, Haaretz sheds tears over Sanyurah.

"The smuggling of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah, according to Military Intelligence, has resumed and is proceeding at full steam. Southern Lebanon is being rebuilt with Iranian money and the Hezbollah guerrillas, who do not appear now in public wearing fatigues and carrying weapons, are moving about uninterrupted."

Israel hoping to rescue Sanyurah.

"Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them."

I only found one picture in one newspaper of the clashes in Beirut yesterday.

Madawi Rashid on Saudi policy toward Iraq.

Class analysis of downtown Beirut.

Israeli occupation troops continue to kill Palestinians. This one (Jamil Al-Jabaji) was 15.

Does somebody have a subscription? I would like to read an article on the image of Israel published on the front page of The Jewish Chronicle.

The crux of the matter (by Khalid Saghiyyah)

Hariri supporters today engaged in Cedar "Revolution" activity: they set shops owned by Syrians on fire (near Sabra).

There was a separate communist demonstration in Lebanon yesterday. Did anybody notice?

This is the criteria of US government AND media (including Nation magazine) in covering demonstrations around the world: demonstrations against pro-US governments are bad and a sign of threats to democracy. But demonstrations against anti-US governments are very democratic and healthy--and the demonstrators in this case are so good looking.

LBC-TV's correspondent (the Lebanese Forces' fanatic, Bassam Abu Zayd) entered the church in downtown Beirut hoping to prove (the thesis of LBC-TV and Future-TV) that all the demonstrators in downtown Beirut are Shi`ites (you see, in Lebanese politics, the Shi`ites don't count as Lebanese. On the day of the demonstrations, Al-Jazeera interviewed the editor of the Hariri rag Al-Mustaqbal, George Bkasini, and asked him about the massive crowds. He said: "But they are all Shi`ites"). So Abu Zayd saw a bearded man in the church. He asked him whether he is Muslim or Christian. The man said he was Christian. Abu Zayd asked him to recite a Christian prayer for him. The man was Christian.

One of the popular chants in Beirut is this: "We are fed up with lies; fed up with tears; we want a government that ends hunger."

The irony in Lebanon is this: the opposition is using the same methods of March 14th against them. US media of course don't like the demonstrators of the opposition. They are not as photogenic as Blandford (in fairness, Blandford found them telgenic not photogenic) and other Western reporters would like them to be. This explains the imbalance of coverage.

Joseph Samahah on: the July 12th Camp.

`Ali Ahmad Mahmud (a supporter of the opposition in Lebanon) was shot and killed by Hariri supporters in the Qasqas neighborhood in Beirut. There will be no word of condemnation from any capital, rest assured.